Post #90 – Memoir Writing Tips – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
A few days ago, Matilda and I received an email from a reader who was having trouble figuring out some basic aspects of her memoir. How long should it be? she asked. Can the timespan be more than 10 years? What’s the right number of chapters? How many characters should I have?
Our friend couldn’t decide, and her indecision was holding her back from making progress on her memoir. Her frustration translated into inaction. She admitted that while she had plenty of stories, her book was not moving forward. She hoped we had some easy answers…and rules…that would guide her.
You can read our response below…but first let us tell you what we’re offering this pre-Cyber Monday/Black Friday…
Bring It All Together…Writing Alchemy…The [Essential] Women’s Memoir Writing Workshop…And Your Stories
“Kendra, What do you want to do for Cyber Monday, this year?” This is the question Matilda posed about three weeks ago.
“Why don’t we do something really special. Let’s throw all the numbers out the window and just GIVE everyone our The [Essential] Women’s Memoir Writing Workshop videos when they get a copy of Writing Alchemy.”
“That’s perfect. But we have to limit the offer because we’re literally giving away unlimited online video access to all 21 lessons. We can only do this for a week. But it would be the perfect way to put a complete memoir writing program…from planning to writing to publication…in our readers’ hands.”
- Buy Writing Alchemy: How to Write Fast and Deep by November 26th and Matilda and I will GIVE you free, unlimited online access to all 21 lessons (a $109 value) in our popular video series.
- If you already have your copy of Writing Alchemy, buy a copy as a gift for a writing friend and you BOTH receive access to all 21 video lessons.
- Finally, if you already have The [Essential] videos, we’ll give you the coaching class of your choice (a $295 – $150 value) absolutely free.
All the Answers to Your Memoir-Writing Questions Lie Within…
…You just need to know how to find them. And for that you need the right tools. In the case of our reader and friend, we suggested she go back and tackle her theme and message. Really get inside the questions about what kind of memoir she is writing. Who her audience is. What she wants readers to take away from her book.
When she can answer these and similar questions fully and to her satisfaction, she won’t be looking for generic rules about the length of her memoir…timespan…number of chapters…number of characters. She’ll KNOW exactly what she wants to accomplish and how to get there. The theme and message…and her objectives for sharing her story with readers will make it clear.
The same is true for you. If you have unanswered questions about the physical elements of your book, let the story you are hoping to share with readers be your guide.
And when I say “story,” I’m referring to the story of the whole memoir…not any individual anecdote or scene. You can’t get to your answers until you identify the big picture.
Let Me Give A Quick Example
This week, I’ve been sharing my story about my sister and her definition of an emergency when she bought a $500 cuckoo clock using Daddy’s American Express card. That is the perfect example of an anecdote. It’s a cute story. It even has a little message. But I can’t build a memoir around this story until I know what I’m trying to accomplish.
I need to ask myself questions:
- What kind of memoir am I writing? A family memoir? A memoir of lessons? A memoir about my sister? (This is theme)
- Who am I writing for? Family? Women who grew up in the 50s and 60s (as I did)? And you can’t answer this question by saying that your story will appeal to everyone. You need a specific audience.
- What’s my message to my audience? Once you can define your audience, you can begin to determine what it is you want to share. (This is the key to message)
- What should my memoir look like? Once you know what you’re trying to say, you can plot out how you’ll get there…how many stories you’ll need to tell…who the key characters will be…the timeframe necessary to cover the essential stories.
Everything will fall into place. But you must be ruthless with your questioning. And be prepared to go down some wrong paths before you find all the answers.
The [Essential] Videos are Yours Free for Just 4 More Days
Theme and Message is just one of the lessons you’ll get with The [Essential] Women’s Memoir Writing Workshop video access to all 21 lessons. And it’s yours free as our gift with a copy of Writing Alchemy–a perfect complement to the videos. Just as The [Essential] videos help you organize, plan and move forward through each phase of writing your memoir, Writing Alchemy will help you answer your questions about character development, emotions, dialogue, sensory detail and time and place. It’s not a re-hash of writing lessons you’ve had in the past. It’s a method for you to use what you know and apply that knowledge effectively. It’ll change the way you write…forever.
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